Jan. 22, 2020
HARRISBURG – State Rep. David Rowe (R-Snyder/Union) today announced that his House Bill 2178, which is part of a package of bills aimed at combatting human trafficking, passed the House unanimously.
“It’s heartbreaking to know that we are one of the top human trafficking states in the nation,” said Rowe. “Our women and children are being sold into slavery in the 21st century right in our backyard. It must stop.”
House Bill 2178 would amend the Domestic Relations Code to expand the list of criminal convictions of a party or member of a party household that a court must consider before making a custody determination.
“A convicted sex trafficker has no business being a legal guardian of a child,” said Rowe. “I thank my colleagues for their support of this bill and I’m proud to support this package of legislation so we can end modern day slavery in Pennsylvania.”
Recent studies have ranked Pennsylvania among the top 10 states with the highest rates of human trafficking cases. From 2007 to 2018, more than 1,200 cases were reported and more than 3,000 victims were identified.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, women and girls are primarily used in the sexual exploitation section.
In recognition of January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Awareness Month, the Pennsylvania House has passed several bills this week aimed at fighting human trafficking.
You can read more at
pahousegop.com/humantrafficking.
Representative David Rowe
85th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Alison Haas
717.772.9843
ahaas@pahousegop.com
RepDavidRowe.com
Facebook.com/RepDavidRowe